Spring

Officially spring arrived last week. The days are now longer than the nights. Unofficially it is definitely here with the spring bulbs bursting into flower. The magnolia blossom on my neighbors tree looks particularly stunning at the moment. Although there is not much to show for it in my garden. I have a few of the above Rip Van Winkle daffodils putting in an appearance and the promise of Blue Bells, Grape Hyacinth and a favorite of mine Fritillaria Meleagris (Snake Head Fritillaria)

But what does spring mean to you as a gardener? I hear gardeners talking about a fresh start? A time to forget last years successes and failures and starting the new season with a clean slate. If the weather badly effected you the year before or an infestation of one pest or another then this may be the case but gardening is about preparation, building on what you have done before. Perennial plants slowly establish themselves and your borders mature as the seasons go by. As a gardener you work to improve your soil year on year by adding organic matter, working the soil and by the action of the plants you are growing. You don’t start with a clean slate each year you have the previous years hard work and planning to build on.

Is it just luck that great gardens look the way they do? No! Its because a gardener has put in season after season of effort, each year improving both the garden and his own skills tending it.

The anticipation I feel as a gardener is to see the improvement as both my garden and I develop. What will the coming together of my work, the elements and mother natures own contribution combine to create?

We moved into this house in 2013. At that time the garden was a blank canvas, This blog is a scrapbook of my gardening journey. Something I can look back on and remember the highs and lows, something that perhaps other people will enjoy reading and hopefully commenting on along the way.